Python: Use agent description in HandoffBuilder auto-generated tools

[lbbniu]

Summary

Enhanced HandoffBuilder._apply_auto_tools to use the target agent's description when creating handoff tools, providing more informative tool descriptions for LLMs.

Changes

• Modified _apply_auto_tools in _handoff.py to extract description from AgentExecutor._agent when available
• Updated iteration to use .items() for more efficient dict traversal
• Handoff tools now use agent descriptions instead of generic placeholders

Example Impact

Before:

tool_description = "Handoff to the refund_agent agent."

After:

tool_description = "You handle refund requests. Ask for order details and process refunds."

Benefits

• More informative handoff tool descriptions for LLMs
• Better alignment with agent's actual purpose
• Improved tool selection by the coordinator agent
• No breaking changes to existing API

Testing

• ✅ All handoff tests pass (20/20)
• ✅ No regressions in existing functionality
• ✅ Code follows project style guidelines

Files Modified

• python/packages/core/agent_framework/_workflows/_handoff.py (lines 1088-1097)

Fixes #2713

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR enhances the HandoffBuilder to use agent descriptions when creating auto-generated handoff tools, making the tool descriptions more informative for LLMs when selecting which agent to hand off to.

• The _apply_auto_tools method now extracts the description from the wrapped agent in AgentExecutor instances
• Changed dictionary iteration to use .items() for more efficient traversal when both keys and values are needed
• Handoff tools now use agent descriptions when available, falling back to generic descriptions otherwise

[markwallace-microsoft]

Python Test Coverage Report •

File	Stmts	Miss	Cover	Missing
packages/core/agent_framework/_workflows
_handoff.py	518	140	72%	58, 71–73, 80–81, 83, 85, 159, 167–172, 175–176, 190, 199, 218–221, 230–232, 243, 246, 256–267, 269, 275, 281, 316, 362, 455, 464–469, 471–472, 483, 500, 518, 533, 545, 573, 585–587, 593, 617–619, 622–625, 627–629, 872, 878, 882, 888, 892, 904, 954, 957, 1045, 1050, 1060, 1066–1069, 1077–1078, 1082–1084, 1086–1090, 1093–1097, 1099–1104, 1106–1107, 1109, 1111, 1126–1127, 1130–1131, 1134, 1154–1160, 1162, 1168, 1202–1203, 1256–1257, 1342, 1503, 1511, 1583, 1595, 1599, 1604–1605
TOTAL	16288	2551	84%

Python Unit Test Overview

Tests	Skipped	Failures	Errors	Time
2324	130 💤	0 ❌	0 🔥	58.900s ⏱️